Comment #1: "This person is a very high profile person who becomes, to a large degree, a name and face"

Eliminated:None. Every person on this list is fairly well known in some aspect. Though some (Harbaugh) are a higher profile than others (Trgovac), they are all high enough to hire for the job... They could all more than likely carry the face of the team as well.

Which is most important for Michigan's new coach

Profile / Being the Face of MichiganLevel of Past CompetitionOffensive and Defensive SchemesExperienceSubmit Votevote to see results

Which is most important for Michigan's new coach

Profile / Being the Face of Michigan

25.2%

Level of Past Competition

17.3%

Offensive and Defensive Schemes

33.1%

Experience

24.4%

Total votes: 127

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Comment #2: "This individual has to be able to compete at the highest level. The expectations here are extraordinarily high ... (and) that puts a coach in a position where they have to have the ability to stand up to that pressure and perform against it."

Eliminated: Brady Hoke andRob Broadway... Though some may disagree, I think that when you ignore the 'Michigan Man' angle, this will eliminate Brady Hoke. I consider "the highest level" to be the NFL, an automatic qualifier conference, or a mid-major BCS buster school (such as Boise State). With San Diego State in the MWC and Ball State in the MAC, he has not achieved either yet.

Comment #3: "One of the things I look for is a coach who can modify their approach and their attack based on the personnel they have. We know who our players are, and we know what we have, and we know what they're used to, and we know what their experience has been."

Eliminated: Gary Pinkel... It is close, but when Pinkel went to the Toledo Rockets, their record went from 9-2 to 5-5-1. When he went to the Missouri Tigers, it took him two years to get a winning record. This probably won't cut it when it comes to the Michigan head coaching job.

Comment #4: "Is there a thought of getting a defensive-minded head coach? There's a thought of getting a defensive-minded everything. I want the ball boys to be defensive-minded."

Eliminated: Ralph Friedgen, Mike Leach, Jon Gruden, Gus Malzahn, Mike Belotti, and Dan Mullen. For this one, I looked at who had offensive backgrounds and system, and kicked them out. The exceptions are the coaches with great offenses and defenses.

Who is most likely to be the next Michigan coach?

Les Miles

Kyle Whittingham

Gary Patterson

Chris Petersen

I would immediately eliminate both Harbaugh and Fitzgerald. Harbaugh seems NFL bound and Fitzgerald has been very recently quoted as saying he was not leaving Northwestern.

That leaves us with what I believe are the top 4 candidates, in order of what I believe to be the likelihood...

Les Miles: Being a 'Michigan Man' helps him, but besides that overused statement, it is time for him to return to Ann Arbor. He has constantly been on the hot seat in the Bayou, and this is almost certainly his last chance to come back. He would help with recruiting immensely, and though he would drive UM fans nuts with his tactics, he is a great coach.

Kyle Whittingham: The most likely non-AQ coach to jump. He has been at Utah since 2005 and strongly considered leaving when Tennessee gave him an offer. With the loss to TCU and Boise state this year, as well as Boise's entering the conference, he may decided that now is the right time.

Gary Patterson: I highly doubt he would leave right after a Rose Bowl win, but as of yet he has not been contacted by a major school with any offer.

If push comes to shove and problems arise with the 4 above, Chuck Heater would be a great fit. Though he has no previous head coaching experience, he has coached Florida to be one of the best defenses in college football. He is also a 'free agent' so to say with Florida no retrieving him after Urban Meyer's retirement.

A good fall back will definitely be Brady Hoke. He is considered the favorite, and though I wouldn't like it, Brandon will do if all else fails.

I've been wrong before, but I believe that one of the previous 8 coaches (starting after comment #6) will be the next Michigan coach.